Of Masters and Servants
by Fragile Fate
Summary: Fate is a strange thing. The die is cast, and two games begin as the world sits on the brink of destruction. As Shinji steps into the first scene, the Red Knight is by his side. Perhaps the world can change, after all? Multi-crossover.
1. Prologue: Rolling the Dice

Rei was dead. Rei was alive. While both were true statements, they held a conceptual conflict that could not be resolved without understanding several facts. As those facts were secrets known only to a select few, Rei did not receive a funeral. Instead, she went to school.

Rei was 5 years old, with bruises around her neck, decomposing… somewhere. Rei was 14 years old, injured, but very much alive and a part of class 2-A, Tokyo-3 Municipal High-school. Two of Rei, only one life, only one destiny; to die. Nothing more, nothing less. She needed nothing more either. Everything she needed was supplied by Ikari Gendo. She did not know what it was to 'want.' Knowing that would have made her more human, less able to fulfill her role in the scenario, and ultimately a hindrance to be removed, replaced, and ignored. Just like Rei.

Uniqueness would not be tolerated unless it was gainful to the scenario. That is why if a marking appeared on her left hand without any clear origin or purpose, one would assume that the second life of Ayanami Rei would be ended without a second thought. Fate was kind to that second life however, and when such a mark appeared upon her hand, it was already in a cast, wonderfully sealed from the eyes of the world. But not, however, sealed from the being who watched over her.

Being, at this time, would be the correct way to phrase it. True, it had once been human; its form was such that the being could be mistaken for one. But its power… the strength of this being was beyond the limits of a normal human by leaps and bounds, to the point where even thinking of challenging such a thing would be suicide for even a well-trained army. The power of the Servant Berserker could not be matched easily.

Berserker could have snapped her neck at any time it wanted to. Several times, rage almost brought him to do so as it slowly learned what was taking place before him. This mockery of life, this … homunculus … wanted nothing more than to fulfill a disgusting, useless man's wish and then to die. But Berserker knew from watching and listening to that blonde _bitch_ babble on about its master's ability to be replaced that snapping her neck in rage at her submissiveness to this madness would do nothing except send him back… into that tomb he had built for himself. Into darkness and shadow.

Snapping the doctor's neck, or the_ filth_ for a man's neck, would do no good either given the coming trials. But Berserker could not remain hidden forever; better to be known, to Rei and her master at least, until the time was right. Better that the foolish man who abandoned his own son knew about an alternative to his scenario, another way to bring back the only being on the planet capable of loving such a cruel, despicable creature, though Berserker doubted even she could forgive Ikari Gendou for his misdeeds.

It was for this reason, when Ikari Gendo was visiting Rei in the hospital, that Berserker finally made himself known. Never stepping into the light to let himself be known, as he knew it to be folly at this stage for even such a strong willed opponent to know his true form -and perhaps even his true name by association, Berserker explained the situation. The Holy Grail that would form at the heart of Tokyo-3 over the next few months (in the heart of Ayanami Rei no less!), the battles that would lead to that miracle, and the need for patience… much patience indeed –all of this was explained to the mastermind of NERV in detail. This included the abnormality of Berserker's appearance this early in the course of events, and his own triumph over the Holy Grail's attempts to constrain him. Indeed, Ayanami Rei could cause him to go 'mad,' but it would accomplish little. His strength had always been in overcoming things, and the limitations placed upon him by the Grail were no different.

Needless to say, the supreme commander of NERV had heard of the Holy Grail, and of the happenings before his own schemes and those of the old men brought the world to the brink; the Holy Grail Wars. But… even for a man of immense, even labyrinthine information networks he did not know the specifics. In fact, Gendo had passed them off as useless information, as the only sorcery he needed was that to make the Evangelion move, to create Rei, and to imitate a Third Impact that he alone would control. Yet with that undeniable opportunity in front of him… yes, this did indeed give the brooding man pause. To be able to bring Yui back from that nothingness just by waiting and allowing _his_ creation to control this Servant and do whatever needed to be done… namely, to eliminate all of the other servants and possibly their masters if they proved problematic. Seele could not even hope to predict this event; something so far beyond their considerations as something of the past, something forgotten in the breaking of the Grail at the end of the last War.

A sixth Holy Grail war, amidst the Prophecy of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Ikari Gendo, the de-facto Master of Berserker, and true master of NERV. It sounded good indeed, until…

"But I won't serve you. Your words are meaningless." Berserker's was a rough, but rich voice which spoke of a man who knew how to command, and to challenge.

Those words would complicate things. Gendo could make Rei use her Command Spell. It would have been easy; but there was a flaw in that plan. _If_ what this being said was to be completely trusted, then she could only command him three times. If the second game failed too early because of his own meddling, the end result could be unpredictable, to say the least. If another Master were to achieve their wish… the results could turn the scenario into an unsalvageable mess.

Rei knew her creator's wish however. She would not be swayed by anything. She would die for the mission if that is what it took. She could be replaced. And yet… now she could not. Such a pity for her, that poor girl who wanted nothingness; so lonely in knowing she was not human, but never understanding what her loneliness was in the first place! The paradox of her life was mirrored in her Servant, though she knew nothing about it in those days.

Once they were alone, Rei stared at her new companion. Berserker stared right back, cloaked in shadow. Red eye to red eyes. "You are not alive."

"… You and I… have nothing else but a bond. I am not dead, yet I do not live. You are not dead, but neither can it be truly said that you live. Perhaps in the future, you will learn what it means to live. "

Rei nodded, and grimaced as her vision swam. The IV had just dropped in only half a dose of NERV's most potent painkillers, instead of her usual full. She would need to be more conscious than usual. Today was the day that Ikari Shinji and the Fourth Angel would arrive in Tokyo-3, after all.

* * *

><p>Shinji hung up the phone and sighed. The same government message again. Rubbing his gloved left hand, the teen looked to the apparition that had been following him around for the last few days. It was a twice Shinji's height, with stark white hair, dark skin, dark eyes as well, and armor… he was a red knight who introduced himself as Archer, and declared that Shinji was his master.<p>

"You're my master, no doubt, even though you're pretty weak." Archer had merely shrugged upon their introduction, not bothering to explain his cutting words.

Shinji had thought that he had gone insane at first; until Archer had pointed out the Command Spell on his hand. That bit was too much to deny, as his hand had been burning with pain from the moment Archer appeared in that weird circle in the forest. Shinji had merely stumbled upon it after running away from his teacher's house, unable to cope with his father's sudden demand for him to come.

"Looks like that lady isn't coming to pick you up." Archer looked down Katsuragi Misato's photograph, which he had been holding on to ever since he had seen it. His 'Master' didn't need any more teenage drama stemming from some buxom woman who didn't have the social grace to cover up and not point out the obvious. "So, are we going to a shelter, or just waiting here. It's your call, Shinji."

"Um… I… I don't know, Archer. If it's dangerous out here, I guess we should…" His breath was stolen from him in an instant.

That girl… Red eyes, blue hair, a school uniform of some kind… and something lurking in her shadow, with such a fierce intent to kill that the boy could scarcely move. He was going to die –Shinji was sure of that fact. If that thing twitched in his direction, his hea—

Birds, suddenly flying to his right, disturbed by something in the distance. When Shinji looked back, both the girl and the terrible intent were gone. Archer was staring at that same spot as well.

"It looks like the game has already started." Archer quipped with a smile. His two swords, one white and one black with the symbol of Yin and Yang embedded in them, were present and carried in a lazy but certainly dangerous looking stance.

"A-Archer?" The Third Child stammered, almost not noticing the growing sound beyond the hill. Shinji turned, saw the VTOL aircraft as they passed nearby and covered his ears as their engines nearly deafened him.

The red knight stepped forward, dismissing his weapons and placing a hand on his Master's shoulder. "Shinji, we need to get out of here."

"R-right! Which wa-" An explosion, sudden movement, his world spinning as strong arms embraced him and took him for a ride. Archer moved at speeds that boggled the mind. In the midst of that dash, Shinji could only scream out in terror until the movement finally stopped, and Archer placed him against a concrete barrier as squealing tires approached.

Katsuragi Misato let her Renault powerslide to a halt next to the Third Child's place in cover and opened the door. Wozy as he was Shinji was able to make out her words and stumble towards the car in time to dodge the Sachiel's foot. That his stomach had almost no time to recover before Misato's driving skills were put to use did not make his life any more pleasant, but it was a very low price for survival…

* * *

><p>This is, of course, not made with the consent or approval of any associated parties. Main contents of the following are from Neon Genesis Evangelion of Studio Gianax, and FateStay Night of Type-Moon, respectively. Lesser elements will be drafted in from other sources throughout the story, for however long I can keep it going. As I'm making no profit off of this venture, nor do I intend to, I would ask that no lawsuits be filed in my general direction from the aforementioned companies. As this is more of a mass crossover with two major elements and multiple minor elements, I'm going to leave this in the main Eva archive.

Having lived off Eva fanfiction for some time, and now owning both of the rebuild movies, I figured it was time to get into the game and start writing some myself. I know that I've probably made errors, so feel free to let me know about them. Reviews will be gladly accepted, critiques loved.


	2. 1: Fire and Blood

A big thanks for the reviews. Helped get me motivated into writing even on the nights when I had to work forever and a year. 13 hour days suck. Anyway, on we go. To Weapon-VII, yeah, Berserker sounds like it would go with Shinji, but it would end badly for him. Like Lucy from Elfin Lied going to town on him bad (though that's another interesting but severely f***ed up crossover). To Julian Chester, sorry to say, but it's not ol' Hercules. Personally, I haven't watched the Anime, but the original Visual Novel adds a lot more to him. He might be mostly mindless, but when it does give you a look into his mind, it is fitting and you wouldn't be disappointed. To everybody else, thanks for the reviews, and I hope you all enjoy the update.

I don't own anything, so please, no lawsuits. Thanks.

* * *

><p>It was an unknown ceiling. Shinji mentioned as much to what he thought was an empty room, before belatedly realizing that Archer was probably nearby.<p>

"…You're not too good at fighting." Archer, still invisible to all but Shinji, sighed irritably. "If you had died, I would've been in a pretty bad situation. Try and keep that in mind, alright? I can't have my Master dying on me."

Shinji didn't respond. He remembered the Eva, and getting into it… but that was it. Archer had said he couldn't come into the Eva with him, for some reason. '_I still can't understand half of what he says.' _The boy groused mentally. Sitting up, he found his now cleaned clothes sitting nearby. Archer at least had the decency to turn his back while Shinji got dressed.

"If you're planning on sticking it out and trying to get to know your dad, you're going to have to learn how to fight better. I can help you with that, I guess. It'll hurt though, and I know how much you don't like that."

"It's not…" Shinji started, but closed his mouth rapidly. There was a camera in the room. It wouldn't do to make himself look like he'd snapped. Things like being aware of his surroundings, actively looking for threats; these were things that Archer had taught him. Even Shinji could do that much if it meant he would get a wish. That he didn't know just yet what to wish for was unimportant. "These still smell like blood…"

* * *

><p>It was not the best way to start the day; learning that you had inadvertently destroyed several residential buildings and left a giant red lake in the middle of the city didn't help one's sense hope for how the rest of the day would go. Misato already knew that more paperwork than she could ever hope to finish in the next few weeks had already piled up in her office, so escaping back to NERV would only bring her more grief. "I guess if it's not one thing, it's another." She sighed irritably.<p>

"Colonel Katsuragi?" One Lt. Hyuga Makoto called out. "Ma'am, we've got something over here I think you should see."

"Mmm?" She turned and almost fell –the damned hazmat suit caught on everything. Steadying herself on the side of the trailer she'd been caught on, Misato untangled the plastic suit from the handle she'd been leaning against. "Something up Makoto? I thought you and Maya were having fun analyzing the lake from hell."

Makoto, also outfitted in the constricting gear, took the lead position as they began their hike through the rubble. "Well, we were," Makoto began, "but then one of the repair teams found something weird out in the second district. You know, the one where we had an energy spike last night?"

"Sorry, I wasn't really paying that much attention to anything other than the EVA and the Angel." Misato shrugged. It was true –between Shinji's screaming and the EVA going berserk, her attention had been completely consumed.

"Well, I guess in comparison it wasn't that important, but the Commander wanted it looked into anyway -said it might be something of value." Makoto was at a loss as to what the Commander considered to be of value. He would have passed it off as things that only important people should know about, but as they continued on, the Otaku got the feeling that things were taking a turn for the crazy in fortress city. The massive, blackened crater that came into view over the next hill didn't do much to dissuade that idea.

"What the fu-!" Misato silenced herself. It was a field of destruction the size of an apartment block, the earth scorched black from the heat of… _whatever_ went off. The only thing not blackened was a small, irregular shape off to one side against what Misato assumed was the complex's fence. "Well, you were right that I needed to see this. Do we have any idea what happened here?"

Makoto shook his head. "No, Ma'am. According to the quick and dirty report Maya was able to throw together, there should be an entire apartment complex here." He paused, handing Misato a map of the pre-blast area. "All of the residents were able to make it to the shelter and have been accounted for, and nothing in the area could have possibly created such an intense flame. Heck, the nearest gas station is over a half a mile away, and it hasn't been drained."

"I see. Is it safe to walk around here?"

"Yeah, the foundation is still present, so there's no need to worry about falling through and into the Geofront." Makoto slowly began walking toward the un-scorched section, gesturing toward it. "This is the, well, _weirder_ part though. The area right here doesn't have any signs of heat damage, but there are still a few cracks in the area, like somebody was jamming an iron rod into the wall here, and we've also got two bullet casings here." he pointed toward the two brass casings, which had apparently rolled onto the blackened concrete. "All in all, I don't have any idea what happened here. And while I believe that Doctor Akagi can solve just about any mystery, I'm not so sure about this one."

"Those are .44 Magnum round if I remember right." Misato noted absently. "Are we sure the Angel didn't do this?"

"This area wasn't hit by the Angel's energy attacks, but…" Makoto shook his head. "Who knows?"

* * *

><p>Akagi Ritsuko was not given to bouts of rage, binge drinking, or insanity. As she went over the greatly slowed footage of the last night's battle for what seemed like the hundredth time, however, she found herself drawing closer to all three.<p>

"It's a sword. Somebody … fired? Yes, fired a sword at the Angel, somehow, and it exploded on the AT Field." She squinted as the frames advanced. "No, correction, pierced the AT-field."

She stated it as evenly as she could, trying to sound rational, calm, and logical. Then she accidentally snapped her pen in half. Staring down at her pen, as if it represented whatever had so violated logic and reality, she threw it in the waste bin and began cleaning up the ink –her blouse would be a total loss. As the phone began ringing, she almost decided not to answer it. Almost.

"Yes Misato? …The Commander's alright with that, I assume. … … … I should hope not. The last thing I need is to bail you out on charges of pedophilia. … You're the one who brought it up, Misato. Anyway, I need to get back to analyzing the explosion from … Yes, I did find out what it was. It was a goddamn sword Misato. What the hell!" She lost control rather suddenly, and began ranting. Eventually, Misato just hung up when it became apparent her friend wouldn't stop any time soon. Ritsuko hardly noticed.

* * *

><p>Miss Katsuragi had welcomed him into her home. She wasn't a bad person, Shinji thought, but he still didn't relate well to her. The bath had helped him relax, somewhat, but he still couldn't bring himself to lie down just yet. His erstwhile flatmate was in the middle of her own bath, having flaunted her figure before him and teasing him not to look before closing the door. Sitting on the balcony, Shinji looked up at the sky and shivered.<p>

"Well, we already know of two Servants in the city." The Red Knight rested against the balcony's railing, eyes closed and arms crossed. "It looks like some high school kid summoned a pretty damn powerful caster type. Seems pretty rough around the edges, but I'm sure I can beat him. Good guy though, saved his master and a kid that were in the way of a falling building. As for that thing following the other pilot… I don't know what the hell that thing is."

"…Archer, what should I do?" Shinji asked quietly.

"You're my master. You're supposed to tell _me_ what to do, not the other way around."

"But…"

Archer sighed. The kid just didn't get it. "Look, I know you're not comfortable with this, but you've got to get a grip. People are going to die –you've got to accept that. That said, it's still possible to save people. That's how I've been living my life."

"But I'm not that strong!" Shinji spread his hands out in front of them, staring at his palms. "I don't want to get hurt, and I don't want to hurt anybody!"

"That's fine." Archer nodded. "People, in general, are weak. That's why you're supposed to stay the hell away from things that could get you killed. Servants like me are a different matter though. It's better if you don't think of us as human beings. We're supposed to fight, and we're supposed to kill each other. That's the only way to make the Grail work. So, like I've said before, I'll protect you and defeat all of our opponents."

"I can't …" He shook as he said the words. He could barely conceive what his own worth was as a human being. To be told that his life was something to be protected was a hard thing for him to accept. What kind of worth did the life of Shinji Ikari hold, other than his value as an EVA pilot and a Master? Did Archer really even care? Did anybody? "I'm going to bed."

"…" Archer just watched his master go. He had seen, through dreams, what Shinji's life had been like up to the point when he arrived. He was sure Shinji was having similar experiences. He sympathized with what Shinji had been through. Being abandoned by his father and raised by someone who saw him as just a burden was not something that could be gotten over with a few words. While Archer -or rather Emiya Shirou as he had been named in life, had known someone who went through similar traumatic experiences, just knowing about such things did not make it easier to help those people.

To say that it bothered him greatly would be an understatement. Archer had a rather simple goal in life; to become a superhero. It was a flawed, borrowed, and hypocritical goal that even he realized would lead him down dark paths, but he still followed it all the same. And now a young boy needed not just protecting, but also perhaps healing. Archer had been exceptional at the former during his lifetime, but the latter… had not been one of his specialties. He could only hope that he would be able to do something for Shinji.

* * *

><p>He remembered it all, suddenly, after Misato had told him to be proud and leaving him to his sleep.<p>

The lights had come on without warning, putting him face to face with something large, purple, and horned. It wasn't in the manual. Nothing like this had been mentioned to him. Archer's comment of "Holy Shit" had been ignored.

And then his Father had appeared, demanding that he ride the EVA. Shinji had rejected it; had rejected his father. Such a burden could not be shouldered by someone without a will of their own…

* * *

><p>The gurney rolled passed Shinji, and time seemed to slow. That girl upon it glanced at him, one eye covered by a bandage while the free red orb seemed to slide over him. He was an oddity, something out of place in his white button-up shirt and black slacks. He looked a little like his Father, Rei noted. Berserker, who watched from the shadows, simply nodded to Archer, who had likewise noticed the other servant's presence.<p>

'_That power… it's got to be a Berserker, but it's not Heracles even if this girl is his Master. She certainly has enough power in her to be a true master of Berserker, but that's not what's important right now.' _Archer didn't move, other than to stare back at that presence.' _If either one of us attacks, we'll both be seen by everybody. I'd rather not kill anybody in here, and the situation outside isn't looking good, especially if this girl is going to pilot this thing… she can barely move!'_

Indeed, as Rei raised herself up, it became abundantly clear that she was in no shape to be moving. Her labored breathing, her shaking limbs, the countless bandages… Shinji could hardly look at her. This girl was willing to go in his stead? This girl would likely die for him, or rather, for his Father?

'_Why?'_

Shinji's world slowed to a crawl as the girl slowly slid her legs off the gurney.

'_Why?'_

She cried out as her legs touched the ground. She sounded so pitiful and pained, it touched his already broken heart.

'_WHY?'_

The entire base shook as the Fourth Angel struck at the Geo-front with its powerful energy beam. Everything began swaying, and a bank of lights suddenly broke free, falling toward the still frozen youth. Archer jumped without even thinking, casting aside his spirit form drawing forth his swords -Kanshou and Bakuya- from his mind. The blades severed the steel and iron construct easily, and his own strength kicked them away from either of the pilots. To his surprise, he landed on the back of Evangelion-01's hand, raised to block the threat to Shinji. It had all taken less than a second.

"It activated?" Ritsuko was stunned, halting her work on the Evangelion to stare in awe at the machine. "That's impossible; we don't even have the entry plug in yet!"

Torn between staring at the Eva, Shinji and Rei, or the man in Red who had suddenly appeared, Misato began reaching for her Glock. "Who the hell…?" She stopped. The man was gone. Had it just been her imagination?

Shinji hadn't been idle, rushing toward the gurney the instant the shaking stopped. "Are you alright?" Shinji asked gingerly as he lifted Rei off the floor, trying to comfort the obviously pained girl. Something was on his hand though… blood. The sight of blood covering his palm impacted his mind like a hammer blow. She _would_ die if he did nothing. This girl who he didn't even know would die trying to fight a monster in his place.

'_I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away'. _The mantra began building to a crescendo in his mind. '_I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away! I MUST NOT RUN AWAY!_'

"I'll do it!" He shouted. "I'll pilot it!"

* * *

><p>The presence of Berserker faded as the Evangelion raced toward the surface. Archer was glad for that. Hanging on as electromagnetic rails flung the giant mecha upward with him hanging on did not make him very confident in fighting that powerhouse at the same time. That feeling of relief faded as the Eva hit the end of the line, throwing Archer into the sky as he lost his grip on the purple machine's shoulder. With a grunt, the servant put himself into a spin and kicked off the Eva's shoulder pylon, angling himself for a nearby rooftop. It wasn't the prettiest of landings, but it served.<p>

"Now… let's see what the kid can do. You'd better not die, Shinji." Tracing his bow into being, Archer took off leaping across the rooftops of Tokyo-3 for a better vantage point, as standing near the two titans as they got down to business did not seem the wise course of action. The Angel was standing still for the time being, however Shinji quickly managed to fall on his face after taking his first step. The crash resounded throughout the city, and as Archer reached a taller rooftop, he quickly took stock of the situation. His superior vision was hardly needed; the EVA was on the ground, almost comically failing as it attempted to rise while the angel approached and reached out with one of its arms.

Muttering a curse, Archer brought up his bow. "I am the Bone of my sword…" Suddenly, shimmering light emanated from where and arrow should have been, but instead of an arrow, a sword formed. "Caladbolg!"

As the Angel gripped the Eva's face, lifting it into the air, he took aim for the red core at its center and pulled back the bowstring. With no hesitation, he released the sword, shooting it like a falling star toward the heart of his enemy. The imitation of Caladbolg was halted by a powerful field the likes of which Archer had never seen, but the explosion caused by the Broken Phantasm pierced through, tearing the shield. The Messenger of Death turned its two heads, and as it began slamming a rod of power into the EVA's head, the eyes of the new head fired a cross beam across the city, nearly catching Archer in it as he dove down to the streets below…

Elsewhere, one Suzuhara Toji was busy looking for his sister while Shinji was screaming about his arm and face. As much as the jock hated to admit it, the horrendously loud noises and the shaking of the city around him almost brought him to turning back from his mission. He couldn't though. He would never forgive himself if he left his sister out in this madness and she got hurt because of it. Being the full-time caretaker of his sister while both his father and grandfather worked to support them, it was all his responsibility. If she was hurt, or died out in the streets after fleeing from the shelter, it would be his fault.

He spotted her, finally, as she was cowering near an apartment complex. As angry as he was for her running away, the elder of the Suzuhara siblings didn't reprimand her. "Mari! Oh, thank Kami-sama you're alright!"

The black haired girl turned toward her older sibling. "Toji!" She smiled, bright eyes going wide with joy before immediately going dim with more frightened than she had shown before, screaming unintelligibly as something slammed into the apartment complex behind her brother. As the Eva began bleeding out of the hole in its head, the red mist combined with the falling debris that began smashing down around Toji. He acted quickly, grabbing his sister by the hand and quickly getting behind a wall, putting himself over his sister to shield her. When things quieted down, he took stock of his situation; loud noises really close by, no idea where the nearest shelter was, and only a wall in front of him and an apartment complex behind him. He knew they had to get away from the battle, but no sooner than he was able to come up with a plan, the shaking began again, with a new and rather terrifying howling…

The Eva was active again, though Toji didn't know it. It leapt forward after healing its arm, feral in its movements as Archer deftly ran toward it. If he could get another shot off… but it wasn't needed, he realized as he saw the purple behemoth slam into the Fourth Angel and it began to rip it apart. With its AT-Field still torn by the Broken Phantasm, it was all the creature could do to fend off the berserk Eva's attacks. Bone began to be torn away from its chest cavity, and entire arm lost to the madness of the Evangelion. A beam of light shaved the paint off the one eyed monster's horn, but nothing more.

The Fourth Angel was as good as dead.

And yet, as the Eva tore its nemesis apart, one of the bone fragments managed to find its way into striking the base of the apartment complex that the Suzuhara siblings had taken shelter next to. The whole area trembled and a plume of dust washed over the two children. As Toji fought to see what had happened, the building began to tilt, a slow and ponderous lean that would crush them in a few moments.

'_Oh no!'_ There was no time to run. No time to escape. He couldn't even shove his sister to safety. They were both about to die. Despair clawed at Touji. Threatened to drag him down, let him give in. There was nothing he could do, but…

'_NO!_' His heart shouted. _'I won't let us die like this!'_

His left hand burned with an intense pain.

And suddenly there was fire all around him and his sister, brighter than bright. He shielded his eyes, desperate not to be blinded as the inferno swirled around him. And then it was over.

"…Well, it's not Chicago. That's for sure." Toji could not believe his eyes. The apartment complex was gone, vaporized by the flames that had appeared from nowhere. Amidst the heat haze that covered the area, a tall man in a leather duster leaned lazily on a staff, a rod of dark wood with glowing symbols in his other hand. Dark haired, with a half-week worth of stubble on his face and neck, the deep voiced man smirked lazily at Touji. Under the moonlight, a pentagram necklace sparkled, as did the rings on the man's fingers. "So, it looks like you're my boss for the time being, kiddo."

Though Toji was too distracted to realize it, the sounds of violent robot on monster combat had moved far enough away that shouting wasn't necessary. "…What?" Staring dumbly at the newcomer, Toji held his left hand to try and stop the pain. When it didn't help, he looked down and saw a symbol had grown across it. "What da hell?"

"It's a command symbol. Means I gotta do what you say while you have it. Not my favorite kind of magic to deal with, but that's that." The man shrugged and started off, heading for the street. "You and your sis should probably get out of here, really quick. There's another Servant around here, and if it sees you, it might try to kill you."

"Uh…" Still more confused than anything else, Toji thankfully still had enough brainpower to help his sister up. "Did… you do that? Who are you?"

"The name is Harry Dresden. I'm a Wizard and apparently, as far as this little circus goes, I'm under the class 'Avenger' for whatever good it does." He chuckled mirthlessly at that, shaking his head and stowing the wooden rod in his coat. "Now we'd better get out of here before… Oh shit."

Harry had just enough time to dash over to the children and raise a barrier field before the Fourth Angel exploded. The blast, other than shaking the city and blowing some of EVA-01's armor off, had the additional effect of throwing Archer's aim off. From several rooftops away, the Red Knight fired off three swords at once, but instead of spearing Harry through the chest the blades glanced off his barrier and sunk up to their hilts in the wall behind him.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Archer dove back as Harry unloaded two shots from his revolver –both of which went wide. _'Too bad. That could have been an easy win right there. Best get back to Shinji and make sure the kid's alright.'_

Frowning deeply, the wizard holstered his firearm in it's side holster. A few moments slower on throwing his barrier up, and the game would have been over already. He couldn't afford close calls like that anymore. "It looks like the coast is clear, so let's get moving kids. It's past your bedtimes anyway."

Toji and Mari complied, both of them shivering. "I don't know how to thank you, man. I mean, did you really blow up that apartment? And what was that all about with those swords?"

"Like I said, I'm a wizard. I'm not the greatest," Harry said honestly as he prodded the teen and his sister along, "but I am, however, reasonably good with fire. As for the swords, that's one of our opponents. I'll explain everything later, but for now, just know I'm watching your back."

It wasn't until the three had reached the Suzuhara household that Harry remembered to mention his inability to interact well with modern day technology –at which point the circuit breaker had a fit and died.


	3. 2: Normal, or what passes for

Well, this took a while to get out. For a while, I just stopped writing and tried to get a concrete story outline going. That worked… until I realized that essentially no matter what I did, I had functionally broken the rules and regulations of both universes. After staring at that on my days off for a while, I suddenly realized that, actually, that plays in my favor and makes my life that much easier. It was a sort of Zen moment, when everything just fell into place. Um. Maybe you all will understand when I get to those plot points. For now, ignore my rambling, enjoy the foreshadowing, and hope that I got off night shift sooner than later.

As a note, I've been writing a lot of this chapter while I'm sick (only time I've gotten a chance to truly sit down and hammer it out of late), so it might not be up to par. Kick me a PM if you find anything.

* * *

><p><em>It was a vast hill of swords. It stretched to the horizons, surrounding that man… He stood upon that hill, bleeding, but not broken. Never broken. Never. He would stand forever.<em>

_He had been betrayed. By the world. By the people he protected. By his own ideal. Blades pierced his armor, his flesh, his bone. And yet, he was not broken._

"_Shirou."_

_Voices. Two of them, speaking at once. Full of love. Full of acceptance. Who were they?_

_They had not betrayed him. They were always with him._

_That was why he could stand._

_How could he be that strong? People hurt one another. How could they support him? He had nothing except that hill of swords. Blood slicked his chest and back, flowing down over his legs and to the ground._

_He sacrificed himself for them; gave up his life, gave up his world… all for the sake of those two._

_Archer smiled._

Shinji sat up, groggy and confused for a moment. The room was unfamiliar to say the least. Then, slowly, he remembered the last day and what all had happened. Wincing from pain –the results of a dozen or so bruises on his ribs, he dressed and headed to the kitchen. Misato had said he would be going to school once it re-opened. Until then, he was 'alone' for the better part of the day as Misato continued to be burdened by paperwork. Archer had disabled all the bugs in the building, but even then, Shinji didn't exactly feel unsupervised.

"Shinji, one egg or two for the missus?" The red knight asked casually, smirking as he looked over the boys shoulder.

"Two, thanks."

Shinji ignored the verbal jab, still not up to matching his Servant in any arena other than the rooftop. He'd learned his lesson well; Servants were inhuman. Breakfast however had become something of a ritual in the Katsuragi household over the past two days –or perhaps a return to normalcy for Shinji as he was used to cooking for his teacher. Cooking for Misato wasn't much different after all, except that Archer was helping him out now. He took the proffered eggs and cracked them into the pan, the sizzle and pop filling the room as Archer began readying the rice cooker. How had this routine started? Shinji had been wondering the same thing, but passed on asking about it. While Archer was at least his equal in cooking, if not superior, it didn't explain _why _Archer insisted on helping with every meal possible. Shinji doubted he would answer if asked.

"Mmmm… Shinji, I need a beer…" Misato, groggy and half dressed, wandered into the living room mostly dead from her hangover. After depositing the beer on the table before the still half-blind Officer, Archer made quick with his usual disappearing act, leaving the rest of breakfast to Shinji. Misato, oblivious except for the can before her, never noticed.

The conversation after Misato had revitalized herself was nothing special. Shinji was mostly mute, and Misato attempted to communicate, albeit poorly. Archer watched the city come alive under the morning sun, senses stretched out to find any sign of his opponents. For once, he wasn't disappointed. But it would have to wait until Misato was away. '…For a Colonel, she's not really on top of her personal life. Heh, just like Fuji-nee, only with liquor. …That's a frightening thought.'

* * *

><p>"So, uh… what's this all about, anyway? I mean, you're campin' in my back yard and all… with that skull… with the glowie eyes and all…"<p>

"Don't worry, Bob's harmless. Well, mostly." Having been the only in Tokyo-3 for two days, Harry was still getting himself set up. Potions needed to be brewed and stored if he was going to get a good look around town without anybody taking pot shots at him from the rooftops. Being tall, broad shouldered, and carrying around his 'tools' did tend to make him stand out, and for whatever reason, he still couldn't get the hang of going invisible like he was supposed to be able to do. Thus, potions, which Mari had proven an extremely diligent source of supplies as she treated the almost random searches as a game. "Anyway, like I said, I need some potions brewed up. Make it easier to sneak around town and see what the other Servants are up to. I'm pretty sure another one showed up this morning, if I sensed it right, but we'll see."

Touji, for all his trying, still couldn't wrap his brain around the concept of it all. "…Can ya run this all by me again?"

Dresden, sitting next to his small camper stove and tent, sighed. He needed to concentrate on the potion more than explain things, but he knew the question wouldn't go away. "Bob, your turn."

"Right. I'll keep it fairly simple for you." The skull's 'eyes' turned, sending shivers down the teen's spine. "Essentially, you've been sucked into a fight between seven Masters. That glowing set of runes on your left hand is proof that you've been selected as a Magus –one of the Masters in the competition. Since you can't fight on your own, a Servant needed to be summoned to protect you and fight in your stead. That'd be Tall Dark and Grumpy over here."

Harry gave a rather cold glare to the skull. "Bob."

While Touji wasn't sure that it was physically possible, he was almost certain that the skull shrugged. "Moving right along then, there are seven servants –one for each master. The Grail takes care of all the silly things like summoning enough power to get us here and making sure you can understand one another, but it's up to the Master to provide the magic to continue their Servant's existence. Servants fight to the death, or kill opposing Masters, until only one Servant and one Master are left to claim the Holy Grail at the end. And, while I doubt that it's the cup that held Christ's blood, it is still supposed to be powerful enough to grant any wish you might make."

"Which is why I don't exactly trust this whole competition. Hell's bells, Michael would be having a fit if he thought it was the real deal." Gingerly, Harry lifted off his concoction and poured from the pot into a small bowl to cool. Several Juice and Sports Drink bottles sat to the side, ready to be filled. "Something about it just doesn't sit right with me. But… if we're going to figure out what's up, we're going to have to survive. Got it?"

"…" The wheels were turning. Eventually, no matter how insane the facts may seem, they do eventually sink in. "Yeah. I think I got it. So, don't do anythin' suspicious, and hide my hand so nobody can tell I'm a Master."

"That about sums it up." Harry nodded as he moved a new pot onto the stove, adding in water and a rather bland newspaper article about which metro stations would be out of service. "As long as you keep going to school and act like a normal kid, everything should be fine. " And with that, he cast a glance at the tent, the browning lawn, and the 'DO NOT ENTER' sign hastily plastered on the Suzuhara household's back door. "Meanwhile, I live like a hobo and try not to die."

"Mr. Dresden, Touji-baka! I made tea!"

The high pitched, angel like voice caused Touji to wince. Yes, he had a wizard living in his back yard. Yes, there was a skill that, somehow, talked. Yes, he could be in mortal danger at any moment. No, some things never changed. "Quit calling me that!" The lone American could only chuckle and shake his head as the brother and sister spat began anew.

* * *

><p>"Now, on our top story, the clean up from the anti-NERV terrorist bombings in Tokyo-3 is still underway, and increased security measures throughout the city are still bogging down traffic…"<p>

Dully, Ritsuko clicked off the television. "So that's how PR wants to handle it? Really? A meteor strike would have been more believable. Though, considering…" She let that thought hang, like the smoke that currently suffused the room. She had disabled the fire alarm earlier, deciding that paying for a replacement and getting a 'reprimand' would be well worth the relief. Taking another long drag on her cigarette, Ritsuko slowly paged through her report. The angel was still a complete unknown. The 'Projectile' and its launcher were much the same, though she had managed to figure out its trajectory and point of origin. Such things were a cakewalk for her.

"Still obsessing over that report, Rits?" Leaning over the haggard looking scientist's desk, Misato set down a cup of steaming hot coffee. "Commander wanted it yesterday, right?"

Ritsuko checked her watch. Yes, the date had in fact changed –unlike her 'story,' as she preferred to call it. If it ever went public, she'd be labeled as a raving lunatic amongst the scientific community; a sword, regardless of its shape and weight, cannot travel at the speed of a cruise missile that has reached its maximum level of acceleration and punch through a shield that had repelled most of the energy produced by an N-2 non-nuclear mine. Nor did an apartment complex spontaneously combust at such temperatures that nothing remained. It was unthinkable.

"I'd better get going then. You know how he hates to be kept waiting." Still feeling rather surly, though grateful for the coffee which she guzzled down greedily, Ritsuko blinked away what sleep remained in her eyes and gently smacked Misato gently on the shoulder. "Walk with me, at least until the elevator. No need for you to venture into the lair of the beast today."

'_Not that I ever want to'_, Misato groused in her mind. "Alright, as long as it keeps me away from my own desk for a bit longer."

"How is Shinji doing, by the way? He's supposed to come in for training tomorrow, so I hope you haven't damaged him." Oh yes. Misato had life easy. Why not push her buttons? Twist the knife?

She reacted predictably. "Hey, I haven't done anything!" Flushed, defensive, ready for a spar; yes, that would do nicely to get Ritsuko's slow mind running again before she had to meet with her erstwhile lover. And then she noticed that her friend was slowly sinking into her 'please advise me Mrs. PHD' mode. Damn. "Besides … He's too quiet. It's like he's living in another world, just barely touching ours and hoping nobody notices. I mean, he took all of the chores for himself," an outright lie and Ritsuko knew it, "and he cooks every meal. Good cook, but… he's just so distant. I'm not sure how to talk to him. Heck, sometimes I think he's talking to himself."

"Mental instability?" Although saddened at the loss of her chance for a verbal spar, the status of Shinji _was_ something important and hardly something to be trifled with considering the Commander's guidance on him. "Well, considering his background it's not out of the question I suppose. Anything I should be worried about?"

Misato quickly waved off her friend. "Nothing like that, I don't think. More like… he's trying to figure things out, I suppose. Doesn't help that Section 2's tapping has gone buggy, otherwise I could tell you more."

"Well, keep an eye on him Misato." Ritsuko gave a slight smile. Section-2 had been unreliable of late, which had been putting certain less desirable elements of its leadership on thin ice. Something that, if Misato had more time to notice, would have made her very happy. As it was, Ritsuko was feeling vindictive enough about her best friends much simpler life to not mention it. "If you start to get worried about it on a serious level, let me know. We can't have our only active pilot going off the rails on us. Speaking of off the rails, I head Unit-03's been delayed…"

* * *

><p>It wasn't a Heroic Spirit. That was the first thing Archer noticed.<p>

The second was that it was in the residential district. It was indoors though, and as of yet hadn't moved outside. From the window, he could see it had black chitin for an exoskeleton, with blade like claws on each of its four legs, and a sharp tail that whipped around feverishly. Blood covered the floor, and it devoured a man's chest with a ravenous frenzy. Its kill hadn't been too long ago, from the looks of it. Though he was only a few blocks away, his keen eyesight could see the blood was still fresh. He'd seen enough of it in life to know for certain that it came from somewhere vital. That man could not be saved. It might have been simple enough to just kill it from afar; striking it with a sword to the head from his current distance was child's play. A scream from next door –young and female, perhaps Shinji's age– changed matters as the beast quickly reared up and leapt through the window toward the neighboring home.

It didn't take a rocket science to know what was going to happen if he didn't act. His perception of time slowed down as he focused, an iron sword and his bow forming in each hand. It was in moments like this that Archer truly took on his title and made it his own. He knew everything necessary to strike the target. It wasn't even striking the target that mattered, merely firing the arrow and releasing it from himself. The arrow, or rather, sword would handle the rest.

The creature's head had cleared the window, along with its shoulders.

Something was odd though. There was a man, standing on the street, watching the same events unfold, holding a baseball bat out like he was pointing it at the creature. Impossible. Fluke of nature. And yet it was wrong. A danger. Archer ignored it, but he'd follow up on it shortly if anything else happened to tip off his senses. He drew the sword back.

The hind legs had cleared the window. It was in the open. He would need to arrest its momentum and make sure that it would not strike the opposite house, or otherwise leave much evidence. A scared girl claiming a monster had killed her neighbor was much more preferable to a crime scene with more physical evidence. Body shot, center of mass.

He released the sword. His senses sped up just in time to hear someone shouting, and a wave of power…

"**FUEGO!"**

Fire lanced out, joined the sword, and struck the creature dead center. It was an ashen comet afterward, disintegrating into nothingness along with Archer's sword.

Archer looked down at the batter, now a wizard in a duster with blasting rod in hand. Harry Dresden looked right back. Both men smiled. "Hmph."

* * *

><p>Horaki Hikari had been having a fairly average day. The elder Horaki sibling was out spending time with her current boyfriend, who's name Hikari could not remember for the life of her, while she had been tending to the house, finishing what little homework she had left, and caring for the youngest of them. The pigtailed class representative and house matron of Horaki household could scarcely remember a day when she hadn't been left in charge of keeping home and family together. Still, when things were normal, things were good. The bombings, while a outright lie according to her father, hadn't done more than put everybody through a good scare and damage a lot of property. Sure, some students wouldn't be there when school restarted, and who could blame them? But still, things would settle down, and everything would be normal again.<p>

Those were Hikari's thoughts as she put dinner's dishes in the sink to begin washing them. The fell in a clatter as a red splatter on her neighbor's window caught her attention, and the movement of some black nightmare she could hardly describe. Staring for a good three seconds until her mind caught up with the fear overwhelming her mind, she did what she felt was the right solution to the issue at hand.

Hikari screamed her lungs out.

People were staring at the tall, obviously American man standing in the middle of their neighborhood. It was just past 6:30 at night, and while most people were inside having dinner, some were still heading to their homes when the Wizard had let loose his blast of flame. Like always, doing the right thing did not make life any easier for poor Harry Dresden. With his potion's effects dispelled, it was blindingly obvious that the tall man in the duster was not from around Tokyo-3, and that something strange was afoot. That his own shout had come just after an ear piercing scream didn't help matters. Harry could already hear sirens.

"Well… I don't think this is the time to be fighting. How about you, Red?" Warily, he nodded toward the wailing in the distance.

Archer nodded. He'd gotten some information about what this Caster type was capable of. That was enough for one day, though the presence of the creature still bothered him. It would do well to hang around, and make sure the police didn't bite off more than they could chew. He let the bow disappear. It was starting to rain. "Get out of here. I don't want to have to kill the whole neighborhood because of you."

Nodding, the Harry beat feet for the nearest secluded area. _'Well,'_ he thought,_ 'at least a building isn't on fire.'_

* * *

><p>Hikari's head was spinning. That <em>Thing<em> had jumped at her, then her head and her shoulders had started hurting, then …

"Oh, Master, please be okay! Please wake up! Pleeeease!"

"Is Oneesan okay?" Nozomi's voice was one that Hikari recognized, but the other one sounded a lot older, more womanly than hers, and yet… somehow it was just as plaintive and childlike.

"Mmmm. Nozomi, I'm okay. My head hurts though…" Slowly, Hikari lifted her head off the pillow that she had been laying on and put a hand to her head. Had she fallen against the fridge? Oh, Nozomi was right next to her. "What happened? And who…?"

About then was when she noticed that her hand was resting on a curvaceous, warm thigh and that something furry was tapping it gently. "Oh… Master! I'm so glad you're alright. Um… I might have been a bit too rough in moving you. Sorry! It's a good thing those two guys were around though, I'm not too good at fighting critters like that."

That hadn't been a pillow she was laying against. No, make that two well sized mountains, sheathed in a low cut and strangely fashioned purple-blue Kimono. And she had an orange tail. And pink hair. And two fluffy orange ears that stuck up above her head like a foxes.

"Ohhh, but I'm so glad you're alright, Master!" Hikari found it hard to breathe as her face was crushed into the woman's chest, which she struggled out of in a blind fit of panic. Things were moving way too fast for her to keep up!

"Wait, wait… Nozomi, who is this? What happened? Where did that thing… Ow!" Her back was in on fire. Gently, she pulled down the back of her shirt, only to find a glowing glyph scrawled across her back.

"…Wait, when did Hikari-neechan get a tattoo?" Nozomi, almost a shortened though incredibly more mischievous version of her freckle faced sister, peered in wonder at the sigil on her sister's back. "Pretty!" She cooed happily.

"It's not a tattoo, silly, it means she's my Master!" The fox-woman stood gingerly, before leaning down and whispering almost conspiratorially to child, "Though, my last master had it on his hand… weird." She righted herself at a speed which Hikari winced at. Didn't moving that fast hurt? Still, her mind was catching on to what this weird woman was saying.

"I'm… your master?"

"Uh-huh! As for who I am, I'm… well, I can't tell you my real name right now, Master. Please, call me Caster! I'd offer Lover as a title, but my last Master still holds my heart." She blushed, hiding her mouth behind the sleeves of her dress coyly. "Ohh, how I miss my Goshujin-sama! But enough of that. I can tell you all the details later if you really want to know. Right now, there still that weird thing over there! It… might be a reality marble? Maybe?" Her ears tweaked left and right, to mirror their owner's indecision.

"What… I don't…?" Hikari just couldn't keep up.

"Well, it won't be making any more critters now!" A slip of paper (was she just imagining that, or was it a seal from a temple or something!) appearing in her hand, Caster waved it with a flourish before pointing it at the neighbor's house. That the building was suddenly consumed in roaring flames did not make matters better for the poor class rep.

Normal, it seemed, was a thing of the past. Hikari just whimpered.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, NERV HQ was having a conniption fit trying to keep up with the sudden power spikes and disappearances.<p>

"Just what the hell is going on out there?" Misato wondered aloud as the sirens blared for a second time. Her dinner –takeout from one of the cafeterias- sat largely ignored on her desk due to the constant interruptions. "Is it an angel or not?"

"Police are reporting a fire," Makoto called out over the din from his station, "and witnesses say a tall non-native was seen near the crime scene. Section 2 is on its way, under the guise of investigating possible terrorism related activities. On-scene officers haven't seen anything though, but I'm sure they'll question the neighborhood, Colonel."

"If it's not one thing, it's another, isn't it?" Shaking her head, Misato longed for several beers and her bed. Work never got easier.

* * *

><p>AN: You have no idea how much I wanted to write a throw down between Harry and Archer. However, with that setting, neither one would have wanted to start a fight, especially with the version of Emiya I'm using. Maybe some of you have already put that little puzzle together? I certainly left a lot of hints. Also, no, we won't see another Xenomorph. Aliens fans, sorry. Again, I've been sick while throwing together the last 2/3rds of this chapter, so if something is amiss (other than unexplained plot), let me know. Now, to paraphrase the wise words of Adam Mansbach, I'm going to 'Go the F *$ to sleep.'


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